Tag: upcycle

Happy New Year! I’m popping in with a quick little post today sharing one of my favorite projects from last year: my wedding jacket!

A few months before the wedding, I was searching on pinterest and came across some beautiful painted wedding jackets. I absolutely love the idea, but I am not a painter. So I turned to my embroidery machine! For this quick upcycle I used a jacket from my own closet, a beautiful file from Urban Threads and the most amazing sewing machine, the Janome Memory Craft 15000!

This is an easy project and with different embroidery files, can be made for so many occasions! Weddings, graduations, birthdays, or just to create a one of a kind piece to treasure!

I can’t believe it’s been so long since I’ve blogged. Actually, I can believe it- things have been a little hectic. Since my last blog post in August, I finished making my wedding dress, got married on the rim of the Grand Canyon and spent two weeks exploring National Parks with my new husband. Of course, there was a lot more that happened in the past few months, but those are some of the more notable moments!

I will definitely share my wedding dress/the process of making it when I get back some more photos! (But I will leave a few down below if you haven’t seen any on instagram)

While making my wedding dress, I had a lot of refashioning ideas, but didn’t have time to make any of them because my dress took way longer than expected. After my dress, and all the wedding planning, I didn’t feel like being creative at all! The past couple weeks I have been re-organizing life, sewing through a little bit of my stash (projects that have been on my list all year!) and designing new bags for my shop.

For a few months now I’ve been eyeing “tier dresses”, dresses with 2-3 gathered layers, and have been falling in love with the style. I was doing some pattern research and came across the Myosotis Dress and really fell in love! But before spending money on another pattern, I wanted to test how the dress style would look on me. Enter this sweet denim dress I picked up earlier in the year.

This denim dress was very well loved – the denim has been washed a number of times and it has several stains, but I really loved the bodice detail and the velvet collar. It was a size small, so I didn’t have to do much fitting to it, but I was able to use the skirt for the look I wanted. I went off this photo for inspiration.

First step was to re-size the bodice a bit on each side. I also removed the skirt from the bodice and took out the pleats in the original skirt. The first tier of the skirt came out to be 10.5″ long. I gathered the skirt and reattached the first tier.

To make the second tier a little bit of a quicker process, I measured from the bottom up to keep the original hem. I had to add about 7” to both side seams of the second tier to add more material to gather. There are additional seam lines on the sides, but I don’t mind. The second tier measures in at 9″.

I also re-sized the sleeve slightly and took out a few inches on the shoulder. After that, I re-attached the ties to the side seams and my refashion was complete!

I really love the style on me, I just have to be sure to watch the length. Going too long with this style dress can make me look frumpy, so a style right above the knee works well! I also need to watch the amount of gathering in each tier. I’ve had this issue before- adding too much gathering makes me look childish, so for me, it’s all about moderation with gathering!

This refashion came together quickly and would be easy to do with so many dresses! I could also see this as a cute upcycle for kids!

Looking for a little more inspiration? Here are some awesome tier dresses:

Have a Seamwork Account? This Amber Dress is so cute – I love the multi colored layers, another option for upcycling!

Happy Friday! Today is a quick post, because it was a really quick project! I’m sharing a refashion that I’ve been wanting to do for OVER A YEAR. Yes, this piece was thrifted a year ago and sat in my refashioning closet because I was too scared to cut into it. I picked this dress up because I loved it – the print, the style – everything about this dress screamed “ME”, except I don’t really were dresses that often. As soon as I saw this on the rack, I said “romper”. It immediately clicked that this dress should become a romper and I bought it (I can’t even remember the price!). The reason why it sat in my closet for so long…I didn’t want to mess it up. I was so scared to cut into this dress because I envisioned it so perfectly as a romper that I was scared to cut it.

I usually get nervous to cut into a garment when it’s a special piece, like one from my Grandma, but this one put a huge hold on my scissors. Maybe because the dress already fit pretty well so I didn’t have as much fabric to work with, or because I know that shorts refashions don’t always turn out perfectly.

But a few weeks ago I finally got the courage to cut into it. Probably because I really want to take it on vacation to Florida soon! I loved the floral print in the border of the skirt and knew I wanted to keep that detail. There are quite a few tutorials online for turning dresses into rompers without cutting the waist at all, but since I wanted to keep the bottom band, I needed to cut the shorts from the bottom.

While I dreaded the initial cut, this was a very simple refashion – and I made a video on Instagram documenting the process! You can watch it here!

Here’s a short breakdown of what I did.

First, remove the elastic waist, which leaves the top and skirt separated. Seam rip one skirt side seam to open the skirt. Fold each newly ripped seam into the center of the skirt, creating a fold on both ends of the fabric. Using a pair of shorts folded in half, trace the pattern on the fold of the fabric, adding seam allowance. I chose to make my shorts a little longer, so my inseam measured to 5″. I also left extra material on top. On each leg, with right sides together sew the leg seam together. Now that there are two short legs, sew them together at the crotch seam. Then attach the shorts back to the top, and add elastic.

I made a belt with the extra fabric to complete the look!

The key to making the shorts fit properly was adding in extra allowance in the leg and crotch areas. I made my inseam about 6″ – and later altered it to 5″. I also added a lot of length to the crotch area to ensure that the fit wasn’t too tight. While I added a lot of extra material, this was what I needed to make a comfortable fit. When it comes to refashioning, I always say it’s better to give yourself more allowance and make something smaller- even if that means altering it a few times to get the fit just right.

(I did add a snap close to the wrap neckline just to keep it from flying open!)

My big takeaway from this project is to just go for it! It’s ok to be nervous, but I don’t want my nerves to prevent me from creating. While I’ve been refashioning for over 10 years, I definitely have my failed projects and it can really halt my creativity and my motivation. But I never want my nerves to stop me from refashioning. After all, it’s just a dress and if I mess up, I mess up.

There are so many dress to romper tutorials online – ones where you don’t even have to remove the waistband!

Cotton & Curls has a great tutorial showing you how to do this refashion! See it HERE.

Have you made romper out of a dress before? This is my second one (first one here) and I really love how easy the process is. I’m definitely on the look out for more dresses that can become rompers. Maybe a solid color next!

Happy Friday! I am so excited because it is Fashion Revolution Week! I really love this week because it’s a time for everyone to come out and ask the fashion industry about what they are doing. For those that don’t know what Fashion Revolution Week is, you can read about it on their website!

To be honest, I like to believe like every week is Fashion Revolution week, and one of my goals with refashioning projects is to educate others about reusing resources we already have, whether that be through clothing in our own closets or thrifting items. I’ve found my best solution to the messed up world of fashion is through my sewing. Over my 13 years of learning to sew, I’ve become much more aware of the textiles I’ve been bringing in, and the waste I accumulate. My sewing has become much more mindful, and I’m really honing in on my style, and the quality of my makes.

That being said, I have a new refashion to share today! I’ve had this dress in my refashioning pile for months, waiting for the right idea. I went onto Pinterest and started searching around for denim dresses, and one style that popped up was a shirt dress. I don’t have a casual shirt dress in my wardrobe and I thought it would be a fun, easy going style to carry me into summer.

The one thing I really wanted out of this shirt dress was a longer sleeve, but because of the limited amount of fabric, chances were that I wouldn’t be able to get the full sleeve – and I needed a pattern for it. That’s when I remembered I had a pattern in my library for a shirt dress- and I already made it once before! I was able to take a few of the pattern pieces from Mimi G for Simplicity 8084 for this refashion.

One of the reasons I bought this dress in the thrift store was because it had a lot of stains, and I knew most people wouldn’t want it. It sat around for so long because I was trying to figure out ways to work around the stains. But after washing it, quite a few of the front spots came out so it wasn’t that big of a concern anymore. There were a few large stains I could work around, but two smaller ones that I couldn’t do anything about.

The first stain was right next to the side seam- a nice bleach stain that was easily cover-able. The second stain was on the sleeve, and thankfully I had enough hem left over to make a new upper sleeve! There is still a small stain on the bodice that you can’t see unless you are right on top of it, and one more that’s on the button placket but it gets covered by a button.

The first step was to remove the skirt gathering. It was just a detail I didn’t want, and it allowed me to use some of the extra fabric in other places. I really wanted to keep the side pockets so I had to remove fabric from the center of the front skirt pieces, since I also wanted to keep the front button placket in tact. I did the same with the back skirt, removing material from the center. Since I wanted to make this look intentional, rather than just having two seams down the front skirt, I added some stitching on both sides of the seam line for detail. This was just a little trick that can go a long way for refashioning.

I didn’t want to mess with the top bodice at all. I remember from my denim dress refashion that removing the pockets left deep holes in the fabric that have to be covered, so while I think this dress would be cuter with smaller pockets, they will be staying in place!

I absolutely love how the sleeves turned out! At first I thought I would get rid of the hem, but decided to play around with it instead! With the seamlines in the skirt, having more exposed seams just made more sense, and added cute detail. I cut sleeve bottoms from the dress hem and attached them to the original sleeve bottoms. I made some tabs from leftover scraps and added buttons from my stash to complete the sleeves.

The final step to making this look into more of a shirt dress was adding in the curved hemline. Again, I used my pattern pieces to get the curve. You really don’t need a pattern for this step, but it was easier since I already had it on hand!

Overall, this refashion required way more steps than I thought it would take because as much as I love the “oversized” look, it does not work on my body. I love the boxy style, and have made several pieces in the past with this style in mind only to remember that I don’t look good in it. I originally left the back bodice in tact – figuring the original size would give that over-sized look, but after trying it on several times, I had to face the fact that I looked like I was drowning. I wound up taking an extra two inches out of the entire back, then adding a back tie to pull in ever so slightly.

I LOVE how this piece turned out. There were so many times throughout this refashion when I didn’t like it. It wasn’t looking right, wasn’t feeling right, but as soon as the sleeves were put in, the whole piece was brought together. It is going to be the perfect spring/summer casual dress to throw on to go out to the grocery store, or run errands, and go out with friends. This is the type of wardrobe piece I’ve been needing to add. Every summer I want cute casual dresses but I never wind up making them. So hopefully this will be the kick I need to keep going with sewing this kind of wardrobe staple!

I do have the video footage, and will be working on a youtube video showing the entire process. Coming soon! If you want to be notified, be sure to subscribe to my YouTube channel!

Happy Friday! I have a whole list of sewing projects to get to, and with Spring finally peaking out from the winter weather, I’m so motivated to tackle some new projects!

I picked this skirt up a few weeks ago, while filming my thrifting trip for my Simplicity takeover. I originally wasn’t going to buy it, but it looked like it would actually fit me ‘as is’ and that excited me. It was also this gorgeous golden color, and looked to be of really great quality.

I got the skirt home, tried it on, and had to suck it in for it to button! Thankfully it was a button close and I had plenty of room to move the buttons over for a more relaxing fit. The skirt looked very frumpy on me, as most maxi skirts do. Originally, I was considering making a knee length skirt and calling it a day, but about 5 minutes later, I had the idea to create a pinafore. Maybe it was because I kept seeing the #SewBibs challenge on instagram, but the thought of a pinafore just clicked! Since I wasn’t sure just how often I would wear a pinafore, I thought I would take this project a step further and make the bib removable.

Overall this project was a simple transformation, and I was able to use my Turia Dungaree pattern from Pauline Alice to help with the top.

I will have a video tutorial coming up, and will update the post once it’s completed! But for right now, I’ll break down some of the steps.

Update: Here’s the video!

First, chop the bottom off. Mark where you would like a hem to go – and add in some seam allowance. The more you cut off, the longer your bib can be. Since my skirt fell on my high waist, that meant my bib could be shorter, and I chopped about 9″ off the bottom.

My favorite trick with this refashion was using the original skirt hem in two different places! I used it as the finished top of my bib and I was able to use the rest in the straps. The original hem was pretty wide, so by adding some extra seam allowance, I was able to keep the original fold.

To make the top removable, I added buttonholes to the bottom of the bib and the ends of the straps. Buttons were sewn onto the skirt itself, so the pieces could easily be attached and removed.

During the making of this refashion, I was getting really annoyed. About halfway through, I looked at the piece and it reminded me of an apron. I stepped away for a bit, but even after returning, I couldn’t get the apron vibes out of my head. Before quitting for the night, I took out a pack of dungaree metal strap pieces and pinned them to the straps. Adding in the overall straps and separating the straps from the top made a huge difference and I no longer saw an apron!

That wasn’t part of the original plan, but it was definitely a detail I was happy to add.

After the top was finished, I completed the project by hemming the skirt! I was so happy with how this refashion turned out, and it was made so much easier by using a pattern I already had! There are so many dungaree and pinafore patterns in the sewing world, here’s so inspo to make your own!

Happy Friday! The refashioning world has been on fire for some time and it is so awesome to see other people taking clothing and making it into something new! I am so happy to see other people watching their apparel intake and re-using things they already own, or buying second hand instead of new!

I have a few links from around the web to share:

1. A mall in Sweden is 100% committed to recycled and upcycled goods. A small mall featuring 14 specialty shops sell their goods, and teach others to upcycle! I would love for a mall like this in New Jersey, and would most definitely have a store! Read about it HERE.

2. Looking to get paid for your old t-shirts? Send them to this company! Marine Layer will pay you $5 for your old tee (up to $25) and re-spin it into a new tee! Order a kit or shop their collection HERE. I am super curious about this myself and have to go through Drew’s closet to get rid of some of his tees!

3. I’ve been a fan of ThredUp for years, and they recently released a clothing line geared towards sustainability! Their collection Remade was created with the garments second life in mind. It is a collection of basics that ThredUp guarantees to take back and pay out 40% of original cost when you are finished with the item. I absolutely love the idea, but do wish it was taken a step further and that the items were created with sustainable fabrics. There isn’t much info on the creation of the line, but the clothes are fairly inexpensive so production lines are still a little blurred. But I’m happy to say it is a step in the right direction! Shop Remade HERE.

Whew!

So much good recycling happening in the world! Now it’s time to share my own!

I love a huge refashioning challenge. I can’t do them too often because the ideas just don’t come all the time, but when I get hit in the head with a crazy idea, I have to try it out. I really wanted to sew something floral. It’s been awhile since my wardrobe has seen a new floral piece and I miss my colorful apparel. I had this blazer hanging in my refashioning closet for months – probably purchased last summer – and was trying to figure out what to turn it into.

Then pinterest did it’s magical work and I saw a motorcycle jacket online and thought “how cool would it be to turn a blazer into a moto jacket. I wonder if that’s possible”…. and down the rabbit hole I went to see if it has been done before and gather inspiration photos!

Over-sized blazers have been in and out of fashion for years. This particular one had a lot of length, and that was the first thing to go. Since it was longer, I was able to cut the pockets right off and not have to worry about them.

I thought the hardest part of this refashion was going to be the zipper. But it actually turned out to be pretty easy. I was able to open the lapel seam directly on one side to insert the zipper. The second side was also easy to put in. My blazer had an interior facing that I was able to trace, then used that line to put in the zipper.

The next step was adding in the zippered welt pockets. I have a moto jacket with zippered pockets, so I took similar measurements for my jacket. After inserting the pockets I created a lining for the sides. The back of the blazer already had a lining so I just had to add the sides.

The hardest part of this refashion was the sleeves. And I’m still not 100% thrilled with them, but until I decide what to do, they work well!

I originally wanted to take the same fabric I took for the lining to make the sleeves but after shaping, the fabric was too rough for a comfortable sleeve. I’m not sure if I want to get a new sleeve fabric, or leave the sleeves as is. I am also curious about adding sleeve zippers, but instead of throwing this to the side waiting until I decided, I wanted to have a finished product. So I re-sized the sleeves and put them back in!

I took some video of the process, but I’m not really sure how it came out. There were a few steps I did, then un-did, so it’s going to take awhile to make a video – if I look enough to explain the process! Now that I know how to do it, I really want to find another blazer to do this with. Fingers crossed I can find the perfect one to replicate!

Inspiration:

There were several cool blazer refashions after The Refashioners suit competition last year including this one from Heather over at Closet Case Patterns :

A Pair and A Spare came up with this refashion to turn a blazer into an off the shoulder top:

Happy Friday! Here is New Jersey, we are prepping for a snow storm – which in Jersey could be a dusting or a full on blizzard. There’s really no telling what we are going to get, but I’m hunkered down with a bunch of sewing projects and wedding planning!

When I’m working from home, my every day look in winter is jeans and a sweatshirt. I rotate three pairs of jeans, and about 5 different sweatshirts. Comfort, but still put together enough if someone knocks on my door. But sweatshirts can get a little boring, and I had this cardigan just sitting around so a new refashion it is!

I haven’t worked with knits in awhile, and Janome sent over their new AirThreader a few weeks ago that I wanted to test out! I personally own the Janome New Home 8002D serger that I’ve been using for a few years, and love it to pieces, but the part I dislike most about serging, threading! The Janome AirThreader is so easy to thread, I thought it was too good to be true. But after one quick video on youtube, I was threading in no time! I can’t believe how easy it is, and it will be a sad day when this machine goes back to Janome!

Onto the refashion!

For this refashion, all you need is an old cardigan! This one came from my dad’s closet, (which came from my Grandpa’s closet!) and at a size Large, it was more material than I needed, but this refashion would work best with something a little bigger than your size. The trick to this refashion is turning the back into the front! I have a youtube video showing the process, and to break it down, here are the steps!

1- Cut off button placket.

2- On the back of the cardigan (which will become the new front) cut a scoop neck, about 2″ down in the center front.

3- Cut off bottom ribbing, save for later. If you have front pockets, cut right above taking pockets off.

5- On the new back of the cardigan, fold “neckline” 1/2″ and stitch, giving you a clean edge.

6- To finish bottom of sweater, overlap one edge over the other, about 3″, or however tight you wish to make your sweater.

7- Stitch the overlap, and stitch as far up as you want your back to overlap. I stitched until the natural curve of the neckline, but for more drape, stitch less, for more coverage, stitch more. You may need to pin and try on for this step, to get the fit even.

8- If needed, hem the sleeves. I wanted to keep the original wristband, so I measured how much of the sleeve I would need to take out to sew the wristband back on. I took out 3″.